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Khalifa of Islam makes historic trip to town of Zion

“Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is Great – The Messiah foretold pathetic end of Dowie.”

The worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Fifth Khalifa, visited the town of Zion in Illinois on 17 June 2012. The visit was extremely historic as the Khalifa was visiting the American town in which a major sign of the truth of the Promised Messiah, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) was witnessed.

Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad arrived at the premises of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Zion at 12.50pm where he was greeted by hundreds of Ahmadis Muslims of all ages, who recited poems in thanks to God Almighty that their beloved leader was visiting them. After meeting individually with the local Ahmadis, His Holiness was given a tour of the town.

Zion was the town set up by the false prophet, John Alexander Dowie, to whom the Promised Messiah issued a challenge of a prayer duel in 1902 upon his repeated insults and false allegations about the Holy Prophet Muhammad(pbuh).

Upon learning of the challenge, Dowie responded by stating:

“In India, there is a Mohammedan Messiah who keeps on writing to me that Jesus is buried in Kashmir. People ask me why do I not send him the necessary reply? Do you that I should answer such gnats and flies? If I were to put my foot on them I would crush them to death. The fact is that I merely give them a chance to fly away and survive.”

Dowie’s ultimate fate was a humiliating decline where all of his followers deserted him, his family disowned him and he died a sad and lonely death in the lifetime of the Promised Messiah. This led to the memorable headline in the ‘Sunday Herald of Boston’ on 23 June 1907:

“Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is Great – The Messiah foretold pathetic end of Dowie.”

Today millions of Ahmadis in 200 countries around the world are followers of the Promised Messiah, whilst the name of John Alexander Dowie has all but vanished.

The visit of the Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad was yet another example of the truth of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, as in the very town where John Alexander Dowie had once cursed the Promised Messiah, now the Khalifa of the Promised Messiah was greeted by hundreds of Ahmadis who had all pledged allegiance to Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as).